Dr. R. Bowen Loftin
Confirmed as
24th President of
Texas A&M University

D

r. R. Bowen Loftin was formally named the 24th president of Texas A&M
University on Friday, February 12, 2010. He was selected as the sole
finalist for the position after an extensive nationwide search and had served
as interim president of the flagship university for more than six months.

]4

to read more, click here

International Focus

“

“Our students need
to be prepared
to lead the next
generation into
good international
relations in both
business and
government and
our faculty need
the collaborations
of international
partners to conduct
research that has
global impact.”

”

-Dr. R. Bowen Loftin

http://international.tamu.edu/focus

5

]

Taken from the George Bush Presidential
Library Center Newsletter by Erin Pounders

China-U.S. Conference: Building a Relationship
Based on Trust, Commitment, and Collaboration

H

eld in Beijing on October 2123, 2009, more than 400
registered participants took part
in the fourth biennial China-U.S.
Conference, with discussions and
presentations related to security,
trade and economic recovery,
technology and education, and
issues related to energy and
climate change.
In describing the conference’s
goals, Texas A&M University
President Dr. Bowen Loftin
noted that the conference affords
participants with the opportunity
to “dig below the surface to find
areas in which our societies are
already interdependent upon one
another and to do the rewarding
work of building relationships
based on trust,
commitment,
and collaboration.”

to read more, click here

]

6

China dancer girls caption goes here
International Focus

Student
Spotlight

S

arah Luna, an applied exercise
physiology major, was one of 25
students from Texas A&M University
that served as a student delegate to the
China-U.S. Relations Conference in
Beijing.

“The students are the ones who will
be leading these countries in the next
20 to 30 years,” Sarah says. “I have
a better understanding of the Chinese
perspective, and my experiences in
China gave me hope that we can
find solutions that will work for both
nations.”

for more on Sarah,
click here
http://international.tamu.edu/focus

7

]

Photos courtesy of Professional Photographer?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

My years at Texas A&M
not only provided me
with a firm technical
foundation for my
professional career, but
also reinforced many of
the values which guide
me in my life to this
day. Integrity and hard
work is core to being an
Aggie and the value of
self-development and
lifelong learning are all
integral to A&M.

o Kahlid A. Al-Falih of the class of 1982, “once an Aggie, always
an Aggie” is far more than a slogan. It is a way of life that develops
students who come to know the strength of the Aggie bond. These are
students who understand what it means to get a world-class education,
get the ”other Aggie education” and become prepared to address the
needs of an increasingly diverse population and global economy.
Al-Falih received the 2010 Texas A&M University
Outstanding International Alumnus Award
presented on March 10 at the Clayton
Williams, Jr. Alumni Center.

To read more,
click here

Pictured left to right: Shariq Yosufzai, Chair of the Board, Association
of Former Students, Porter Garner, President and CEO, Association of
former students, Khalid A. Al-Falih, 2010 Outstanding International
http://international.tamu.edu/focus
Alumnus, R. Bowen
Loftin, President, Texas A&M University

he curriculum offers castles, crêpes, and
cooperatives; not your typical Aggie fare.
Each weekday, after a café latté and a croissant
in the homes of their host families, Texas A&M
students walk along 55 rue Rabelais to the Ecole
Supérieure d’ Agriculture d’Angers, the equivalent
to an American college of agriculture. Located
in Angers, the Ecole Supérieure hosts Texas
A&M University undergraduates and a visiting
professor from the College of Agriculture, as well
as groups from other American universities.

]10

to read more, click here
International Focus

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

I hope your visit
will open your
mind and your
way of thinking,
providing a bit
of diversity, new
ideas, new
approaches.

â&#x20AC;?

-Paludier
(Salt Maker)
Guerande, France

Photos co

urtesy of R

http://international.tamu.edu/focus

ebecca No

ah Poynte

r

11

]

Brazos Valley Worldfest
2009

Photos courtesy of Professional Photographer?

]12

International Focus

Investing in a Future of
Cultural Understanding

U

nder the golden rays of the
November sunrise, volunteers
and participants began the early
morning set up for the third annual
Brazos Valley Worldfest.
“International
awareness
is at the heart of Brazos Valley
Worldfest,” Fox said. “As students
understand world cultures, they
break down cultural assumptions
and
develop
understanding.
Teachers, parents and students are
together investing in a future of
cross-cultural acceptance.”

Adapted from Battalion Article
written by Ann Littman

to read more about Brazos
Valley Worldfest, click here

http://international.tamu.edu/focus

13

]

National Science Foundation
Names Texas A&M Member of
Top 20 Research Performers
Adapted from article appearing in The Battalion
by Jeramie Heflin on November 4, 2009
The National Science
Foundation Top 20 Research
Performers
1. Johns Hopkins University
2. University of California, San
Francisco
3. University of Wisconsin,
Madison
4. University of Michigan
5. University of California,
Los Angeles
6. University of California,
San Diego
7. Duke University
8. University of Washington
9. University of Pennsylvania
10. Ohio State University
11. Pennsylvania State
University
12. Stanford University
13. University of Minnesota
14. Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
15. Cornell University
16. University of California,
Davis
17. University of Pittsburgh
18. University of California,
Berkeley
19. University of Florida
20. Texas A&M University

T

exas A&M University excels in many
areas, including outstanding student
programs, national champion sports
teams, and great engineering and business
programs. The University also excels in
academic research, as proven by the National
Science Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ranking on the Top 20
Academic Research Performers in the U.S.

In addition, the University has opened the Interdisciplinary
Life Sciences Building, a $100 million facility that will
enable researchers to make what could be world changing
discoveries. With more than 30 lab facilities, the new
building located next to Simpson Drill Field will be available
to world-class scientists who are striving to make a
difference through research.

]

14

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here

Hispanic Business
Names Cepeda-Benito
One Of “Top 100
Influentials”

H

ispanic Business magazine has named
Antonio Cepeda-Benito, dean of faculties and
associate provost at Texas A&M University, to the
publication’s 2009 list of the nation’s 100 “most
influential” Hispanics.
Among the ranked were U.S. Supreme Court
Justice Sonja Sotomayor, Senator Abel Maldonado,
and Astronaut Joseph Acaba.

to read more on Cepeda-Benito, click here
http://international.tamu.edu/focus

15

]

Jeong Named Outstanding
Young Investigator
Written by Jeramie Heflin

T

he “Outstanding Young Investigator”
award, recognizing outstanding research by a tenure-track Korean faculty
member showing exceptional promise as
a developing leader in chemical engineering, has been given to Hae-Kwon Jeong,
assistant professor in the Artie McFerrin
Department of Chemical Engineering at
Texas A&M University.

for more on Jeong, click here

Urbina honored
with Don Quijote Award
Tiffany Neal

O

n Nov. 18, 2009, Eduardo Urbina,
Professor of the Department
of Hispanic Studies at Texas A&M
University, was inducted into Sigma
Delta Pi’s Order of Don Quijote, the
National Collegiate Hispanic Honor
Society’s highest award that is conferred
annually upon only approximately five
people worldwide.

to read more on Urbina, click here

]16

International Focus

Murphy recieves
Motohiro Kisoi Award
Written by Lesley Kriewald

F

or the first time, the Motohiro Kisoi
Award has been given to someone
outside of Japan to Dr. Robin Murphy, Texas
A&M Professor and director of the Center
for Robot Assisted Search and Rescue and
Raytheon Professor in the Department of
Computer Science and Engineering.

to read more, click here

Engineering faculty part of
$4 million NSF project
Jeramie Heflin

D

r. Prasad Enjeti, professor in the
Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering at Texas A&M
University, and two Texas A&M University
at Qatar faculty members are part of
a team leading a $4 million National
Science Foundation project to design new
materials with enhanced capabilities for
efficient energy conversion.

for more on Enjeti, click here

http://international.tamu.edu/focus

17

]

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Written by Cassidy Thomas

Civil Engineering Students Enjoy an
Educational Summer in Spain

I

n the heart of Spain is a city
that was once surrounded by
walls and towers to protect its
population. Today, Ciudad Real
(the Royal City) is open to all who
wish to learn from the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich
history and vibrant culture.
This summer 24 students
from the Zachry Department of
Civil Engineering study abroad
program visited the Royal City to
see what it had to offer.

to read more, click here

]18

International Focus

Spotlight on Katherine Prem
Written by Kathy Disanto

I

f there’s one thing Katherine Prem ’10 is
passionate about, it’s safety. As a matter of fact,
the petite chemical engineering doctoral student
from Bangalore, India spends a good deal of her
time—academic, professional, and personal—
keeping folks safe and well. Not that she started
her college career with an eye on health and safety,
or Texas A&M, for that matter.

for more on Katherine, click here

http://international.tamu.edu/focus

19

]

Former Texas
A&M Architecture
Student
Designed Some
Of World’s Tallest
Buildings

Written by Kelli Levey

W

hen the world’s tallest
building, the Burj Khalifa,
officially opened in Dubai amid a
flurry of fanfare, former Texas A&M
architecture student Adrian Smith
was among the honored guests. It
was he who designed the shimmering
spire that soars more than a half mile
above the desert in the United Arab
Emirates, rising to an official height
of 828 meters, or 2,716.5 feet.

to read more on Smith, click here

Texas A&M Students
Nominated for Top Scholarships
Kyle Mox

F

ive outstanding undergraduates at Texas A&M were nominated
for this year’s Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships, the two most
prestigious and highly-coveted academic scholarships available
to United States students. Students include Anna Lee Allcorn, of
Olton, Texas; Mark Deimund, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Ella
Doerge, of Clive, Iowa; Paige Ibanez of the Woodlands, Texas; and
Karthik Venkatraj, of College Station, Texas.

To read more about these top students, click here

]20

International Focus

Bush Excellence
Awards 2010

A

ll three of the recipients
for 2010 Bush Excellence
Awards for international teaching,
international research and public
service come from the College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences - a first
in the history of the award. Clyde L.
Munster, Glen C. Shinn and Peter
Witt received the awards from
Dr. Roman Popadiuk, Executive
Director of the Bush Presidential
Library Foundation, on March 4.